Justice News

Colorado Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Transporting A Minor For The Purpose Of Engaging In Sexual Activity

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Jacob Thomas Pearce, 23, of Golden, Colorado, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger, to serve 120 months in prison for transporting a minor for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity, announced Jill Westmoreland Rose, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Judge Reidinger also ordered Pearce to serve a lifetime of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.

John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division joins Acting U.S. Attorney Rose in making today’s announcement.

According to court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, on or about September 6, 2014, Pearce traveled from Golden, Colorado, to Asheville to meet a 13-year old female victim with whom he had been communicating online and via text messages. Court records show that Pearce picked up the minor from Asheville, and together they travelled through Tennessee, ultimately arriving in Austin, Texas, on September 8, 2014. According to court records, Pearce engaged in sexual acts with the minor over the two-day period they travelled across state lines. Law enforcement located Pearce’s vehicle near Brackettville, Texas, and Pearce was taken into custody. Court records indicate that Pearce admitted to knowing the victim was a minor prior to leaving Colorado. In April 2015, Pearce pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity.

Pearce is currently in federal custody. He will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.

The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Gast the case of the Western District of North Carolina prosecuted the case.